My best friend and I have always been hopeless romantics. We’ve dreamed about our wedding days since elementary school, completely overdid the 8th grade banquet, and drooled over ‘promposals’ (even after we graduated high school). As we’ve both gotten older, nothing’s really changed except for what our “happily ever after” would look like.
It used to be the perfect house with just the right amount of throw pillows and coordinating curtains, perfect kids who were well dressed and involved in everything, and our husbands... they’d be hunks. Hunks complete with perfectly sculpted jaws, sparkling teeth, and jobs that were one in a million. Our marriages would be like those on TV, we’d never argue and our life would be, as cliche as it is, perfect.
But, as we both continue to get older (and a wee bit wiser) we realized that this will definitely not be the case. Not because we don’t want these things, but because we decided that we want happiness more. Happiness doesn’t come in throw pillows and husbands with sparkling teeth, (although these are a nice bonus) happiness comes from being able to wake up every day with the people that you love, no matter if it is in a huge mansion or an apartment where you’re not sure if you’ll be able to make next month’s rent. Happily ever after isn't picture perfect by any means. It’s sticking by the ones you love through thick and thin and being able to laugh when it’s all said and done. Happiness is the tired smiles with friends over dinner at your favorite restaurant after a long day at school or work.
So I’ve decided when I grow up, instead of the color coordinating curtains and kids that are always dressed to the nines, I want to live somewhere where my home is filled with books and travel souvenirs. I want my walls to be covered with pictures of my friends and family and all of the memories we’ve shared together. I want to leave every day and go to work at a job that I love, even if it isn’t the highest paying. I want to remember to be thankful because someone could always have it worse. I want to appreciate the sunrise, the smell of the ocean, the taste of homemade ice cream and all of the little things that get overlooked in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I want to be so busy loving my life I forget to worry, fear, or regret but understand that everyone goes through hardship and to roll with the punches. I want to be able to give God deep, belly laughs because he gave the gift of life to someone who cherishes it as much as I would.
That, my friends, is what you call happiness. It’s not about the money, the house, or the looks, but it is about the pure sweetness of content. That's what it's like to live with a full heart and I urge you, whether you’re 19, 42, or 70 to take a step back and decide, if you haven’t already, that you’re living happily ever after.
